Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Testing at Illinois Fairs This Summer

May 15, 2007

Charlyn Fargo, chief of the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s Horse Racing Programs, announced on Monday, May 14, that spot drug testing will be implemented at the 2007 Illinois County Fairs.

“We want to keep everyone on a level playing field, and have decided to randomly test horses participating in the events at the country fairs,” said Fargo, who assumed her post in early Jan. 2007. “The county fair races in this state are the farm team of the entire Illinois Racing program and it’s important to have the same standards for all participants at all levels of racing in Illinois.”

The Prairie State’s 2007 county fair season kicks off on June 15-16 with two days of harness racing at the Macon County Fair in Decatur, Ill., and continues through the early days of fall (Sept. 5-6) with racing at the DeKalb County Fair in Sandwich, Ill. In all, a total of 38 county fairs will be spotlighted this summer in Illinois.

“We’ll be using the same lab -- the University of Illinois at Chicago -- that is used for testing at both Balmoral and Maywood,” Fargo noted. “We have field reps that are both veterinarians and equine investigators who will show up to do the testing at the various fairs throughout the state this summer.”

Fargo said that urine and two blood samples would be taken from each horse tested, although no detention times would be implemented at the fairs.

“We’ll be testing for the same type of medications and foreign substances that we’re testing for at the major Illinois raceways,” Fargo said.

County fair racing will be conducted at both Springfield from Friday, August 10 through Thursday, August 16 and at Du Quoin from Monday, August 27 through Saturday, September 1. Pari-mutuel wagering is available at both state fairs, as well as at the Brown Co. Fair in Mt Sterling, Ill., on August 1-2.